Pet Info

Foster an Animal

Thank you for your interest in becoming a foster parent volunteer. Good Karma Pet Rescue and Lady Luck Animal Rescue can only save as many animals as they have foster homes for, so every foster parent saves a life!

Foster parents provide temporary care for cats, kittens, dogs and puppies in their own area homes. Some animals need as little as two weeks of care, while other special needs animals may need care for up to three months or more. Foster homes only take on the type of animals that they have decided will fit well within their home and family.

By offering your time, energy and home to an animal in need, you prepare the animal for adoption into a permanent home as well as help prevent euthanasia at overcrowded shelters. We are always looking for more foster homes.

Most common reasons animals require foster care:

Cats and dogs that have just not found their forever homes yet.

Kittens and puppies who are too young to be spayed or neutered and adopted out into permanent homes. When the animals are eight weeks old and weigh at least two pounds, they can be spayed or neutered and made available for adoption.

Cats or dogs who are nursing a litter of kittens or puppies.

Cats or dogs who are being treated for injuries or illnesses.

We provide: all veterinary care, medicine, heartworm and flea/tick prevention, supplies such as collars, leashes, and crates, plus plenty of support to foster parents.

Foster parent volunteers provide: Time, their home, and lots of patience and love for their foster pets. Any food or other supplies purchased for a foster animal is a tax-deductible donation. We also ask that foster homes periodically meet with potential adopters who have already been screened and approved to adopt so the potential adopters can meet the animal.

How foster care works

The potential foster parent fills out the foster home application and the rescue will contact them to discuss what type of animal will fit well in their home. If a foster home is only comfortable fostering kittens, or only dogs up to 15 lbs, we will gratefully work within those bounds.

The rescue will perform a home and reference check.

When the right animal for the new foster home comes along, the rescue will be able to save that animal or animals from the shelter and place them in the foster home.

The foster parents care for the animal as if it were their own pet until the right adopter comes along. We ask that foster parents keep us up to date on any behavior or medical problems so they can be addressed.

If the animal requires vet care, we ask that the foster parents take their animal to our approved vet at a time that works for them. We pay for all veterinary care and expenses.

When the right adopter comes along, the foster home gives the animal back to the rescue so s/he can be placed in his or her new home.

Want to know more about volunteering to foster an animal? Please contact us!

Halloween Safety Tips for Pets

Halloween can be a festive and fun time of year for children and families, but for family pets, it can be a stressful and even dangerous time of year. YGRR offers pet owners some commonsense tips to help pet owners keep their pets safe during this time of year.

Don’t leave your pet out in the yard on Halloween. There are plenty of stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, even killed pets on this night.

Make sure that even outdoor cats are indoors several days before, during and after Halloween. Black cats in particular may be at risk from children’s pranks or cruelty incidents.

Walk the dog early on Halloween night and hold the leash firmly. Dogs don’t understand masks and can be overwhelmed by shrieking children.

Trick or treat candies are not for pets: Chocolate is poisonous to a lot of animals, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

Be careful with pets around a lit pumpkin: they may knock it over and cause a fire. Curious kittens and puppies especially run the risk of getting burned.

Don’t dress the dog or cat in costume unless you know he or she loves it. Otherwise, it puts too much stress on the animal.

If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe; it should not constrict movement, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Also, there should not be small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on. Dress the pet a few times before Halloween to get it used to wearing the costume.

Be careful not to obstruct your pet’s vision; even the sweetest animal can get snappy when he or she can’t see.

All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during trick or treat visiting hours; too many strangers in strange garb can be scary for a dog or cat. Lots of doorbell rings will cause your dog to bark a lot — try to calm him as best you can.

When opening the door for trick or treaters, be very careful your cat or dog doesn’t dart outside. If possible, remove the top half of your screen/storm door and pass the candy through the opening.

Make sure your dog or cat is wearing proper identification. If, for any reason, they escape and become lost, you increase the chances that they will be returned to you.

If your dog can handle the excitement/stress and goes along with family trick or treaters (and an adult), make sure he doesn’t become overheated.